


Through a Dead Lens

by Jumpyrope



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Fake Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-09-05 12:54:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16811044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jumpyrope/pseuds/Jumpyrope
Summary: Akira isn't supposed to see what happens to the cognitive double taking his place in the Metaverse copy of the interrogation room, but he does see, and it makes the experience so much worse.





	Through a Dead Lens

**Author's Note:**

> Me: I should write more of the things I'm working on!  
> Me: *does exactly not that and posts something entirely new*  
> Me: f uck.,, ,

Sae Nijima leaves the room with the cellphone and approximate knowledge of what's about to happen. It's up to her, now. All Akira can do is sit and wait. If everything goes right, the door shouldn't open until someone comes back to save him. If something goes wrong... it can't go wrong. It won't go wrong. Everything is happening according to plan. At least, he thinks it is. God, he hopes he didn't forget a part of the plan. His head is fuzzy from the drugs and there's a shooting pain in his side that is starting to get worse. But it's all okay as long as he did his job right, and Sae does her job right, and somebody _will_ come back for him after Akechi doesn't come through the door in front of him. Akira can't hear anything outside of the room, which isn't helping his nerves. How long is he going to be waiting here? How long has it been already? His head hurts bad enough that it's not impossible he could black out at any moment. His mouth tastes like metal. 

The world seems to shift suddenly, and Akira's vision goes hazy. It's as if he's looking through a lens with blurry purplish borders. The door in front of him opens. 

_We failed._ is the first thought that crosses his mind when he sees the guard step in followed by none other than Goro Akechi. Akira can't move, can't speak, can't even open his mouth to try. He can only sit there and watch as the door shuts and seals the three men in the room. Three becomes two in a matter of seconds as Akechi swiftly takes the guard's gun and shoots him. The guard dies quickly; Akechi doesn't even blink. 

_Why?_ Akira wants to say, _it doesn't have to be like this._ If he could only talk, maybe he could convince Akechi not to kill him. It would be the slimmest of chances, but he would need to be able to talk to do that. All he can do is stare at Akechi's gloved hands fiddle with the silencer on the gun. 

"Have you finally pieced it all together?" Akechi turns and smiles at Akira in a small, almost gentle way. He seems to wait a moment for Akira to respond before realizing he won't. No matter how hard Akira tries to move his lips, tongue, throat, _anything_ , he can't make a single sound. The dark barrel of the gun points right at Akira's forehead. He follows the line up to meet Akechi's eyes, and the traitor's pleasant smile stretches into a smug, evil looking grin. 

"Case closed. This is how your 'justice' ends." Akechi looks like he tastes each of the words as they leave his mouth. It makes Akira wonder how long he's been waiting for this moment. 

_I hope it's everything you want it to be, Crow._ Akira thinks bitterly. _Fuck you._

A deafening bang stops all thoughts within moments. It doesn't hurt, nothing hurts. Akira can still see, somehow. It's very blurry and warped, but he can see Akechi's grin fall back into a blank stare. Then, the table comes into view quickly, speeding towards Akira's face. Or, more appropriately, his face moves rapidly towards the table. 

Akira catches himself seconds before smacking his face on the table. The noise he was trying to make earlier finally rips out of his throat in a noisy gasp. Confused and breathing heavily, he stares down at the table that he _should_ be laying dead on. But he isn't. At least, Akira is pretty sure he isn't dead. Movement and feelings have returned to him, so he must be alive, right? Akira jerks his head up to search the room, ignoring the pain and vertigo it brings in favor of looking for Akechi. The room is empty, though, just as it has been since Sae left. There is no sign of the guard or Akechi anywhere, and the relief Akira feels is euphoric. He feels his own dry, cracked lips split into a grin. The pain of his lips bleeding makes him smile wider, opening the cuts more until he actually feels a drop of blood slide down his chin. The pain comforts him, reassuring that he is, in fact, alive. 

Now, all he has to do is wait for his rescue and hope that Akechi doesn't realize his mistake and come back to kill him in the real world. When the door opens again, Akira's heart stops and his throat closes up in panic, just waiting for that pleasant face to sneer at him again before shooting him dead for good. Sae Nijima walks through the door with a concerned look on her face and Akira is too tired to care about hiding the relieved sob that escapes him. He has no tears to cry(too dehydrated), but his body still shakes as he gasps for breath between laughs. Sae doesn't question him, and when he calms down, they sneak out to Sae's car. Akira sits down, clicks the seatbelt into place, and then Sae is gently shaking him awake. _Sojiro's house,_ he repeats mentally as Sae tells him where they are. She's saying more, but Akira can't begin to comprehend the words. _Sojiro's house..._ the thought echoes between his ears and pulls his lips into a small smile. _Home._

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted Akira to be able to witness his own death lol bc canonically he has no idea what really happened in the Metaverse room, right? Why do I like to hurt this boy, why? This is like, the third fic I have about this interigation room scene it's wild. Anyway this is entirely not plausible bc cognitions have no connection to their real life counterparts so,,,, I said whatever, screw that, I do what I want.


End file.
